The Abbey Theatre is an institution in Ireland. Established in 1912 it has housed some of the best known and best loved Irish and International, actors and productions. The Arts in Ireland are as popular as ever at the moment and theatre going is an ever-increasing pastime for many. To have any contact with The Abbey is a privilege that many have had and few will forget.

The Abbey Theatre is the National Theatre of Ireland. It was established in 1912 amidst political controversy fuelled by W.B. Yeats surrounding funding for the theatre. In its early years its productions were very politically orientated a fact attributed to the political state of the country. There has always been an emphasis on quality Irish productions in The Abbey. The productions have always been close to Irish hearts. This holds firm to this day. In 1966 it was rebuilt after a fire destroyed the original building. Since then the theatre and theatre in Ireland has gone from strength to strength. There are not many avenues available to you when trying to get into The Abbey. To appear in The Abbey in an acting role you have to be a member of Equity, an acting union of sorts. You have to be a proven or well-known director to direct in The Abbey. Your reputation has to precede you as a director and as an actor when it comes to The Abbey. The theatre contracts directors. You may have an excellent play or production but if you are not formally asked by The Abbey you won't get near the institution that is The Abbey.

Many people, some well known actors even, have begun their careers in The Abbey as stagehands or ushers. Sometimes when you have your foot in places like The Abbey from the start you can be lucky. It sounds romantic but sometimes those who have no acting experience are those with the most ability. Acting in general is a hard profession but theatre acting takes the difficulty one step further. Eventhough you may be surrounded by people on stage it can be the most lonely place on earth. "Sometimes when you actually are on stage alone you have no one else to build a rapport with except the audience", according to Aisling Dowling, actress. She says, "Sometimes you can be trembling going on stage with nerves and trembling going off stage after the reception you and your production received!" A lot of work goes into keeping up the reputation of such an institution such as The Abbey but this work has been done since the theatres foundation. Government funding in recent years has helped the theatre and the Arts in general in Ireland immensely but more work needs to be done. After speaking to some actors, some who have not had the privilege of working in The Abbey, the one thing I found is that they are all passionate about what they do and all have one goal. That is, to act till they drop!!